The hall was no longer a hall.
Only broken walls and ruins remained, along with a mess of demon remains scattered across the floor.
Pools of blood were like mirrors, reflecting the grey sky through the broken dome.
The two surviving demons had long since lost their courage, slumped in the corner and trembling like leaves.
Jiang Yuechu stood quietly.
Her gaze fell upon a silver-haired old woman in the corner of the hall who hadn't moved a single step from start to finish.
Jiang Yuechu had seen too many people putting on such a mystical act.
At first glance, they all appeared calm and composed, with an immortal air.
But every single one of them only learned how to speak with humility after she had crushed every bone in their bodies.
She slightly raised her chin, a fierce intent spreading like ink in her pitch-black eyes.
"Are these corpses all over the ground not enough for you to see this Empress clearly?"
Upon hearing this, the old woman actually revealed a very faint smile.
"Indeed... Not only have I witnessed it, but you are even more overbearing than I imagined. It's just a pity."
Jiang Yuechu's brow twitched slightly.
"A pity for what?"
"What a pity," she sighed softly. "It's a pity that such a heaven-reaching figure does not possess the Bloodline of our Yao Race."
"..."
Jiang Yuechu narrowed her eyes slightly.
Since she stepped into Yu Mountain, whether it was those demons in Danhua City, Elder Heavenly Bamboo of Wangchuan Valley, or the Green Phoenix Tree Demon Emperors who filled the hall just now...
None of them had seen through her true identity.
After activating the Great Black Heaven Body Forging Scripture, her body was surrounded by a tide of Evil Qi, and countless demon souls were imprisoned within her acupoints.
Coupled with her techniques, she was completely different from an ordinary Ascending the Tower Cultivator.
Even without revealing her True Dragon form, who could tell she was of the Human Race?
But this old woman before her...
...had merely stood in the corner of the hall, never making a move from start to finish, yet she could see through her background.
Before Jiang Yuechu could speak, the old woman continued, "Actually, whether you are a demon or not doesn't matter to me."
"I have no intention of fighting you. On the contrary, I want to make a deal with you."
Jiang Yuechu's brow twitched.
A deal?
The corpses on the ground hadn't even cooled yet, and this old thing was actually proposing a deal at this moment.
However, Jiang Yuechu did not refuse.
She simply stood with her hands behind her back, looking at the other party indifferently, waiting for her to continue.
Seeing this, the old woman extended her withered fingers from her sleeve and gently smoothed the silver hair at her temples.
"A few days ago, you must have met the one from Yujing Tower... and I suspect that old thing probably gave you some methods to step into the rank of Chess Player."
As soon as these words were spoken...
Jiang Yuechu's gaze finally changed.
When she confronted Wang Canglan, Pure Yang True Fire burned the sky above Wangchuan Valley, and nine fire phoenixes circled—it was such a grand spectacle.
That the other party knew she had fought the Chunyang Lineage didn't actually surprise her... but the matter of him giving her the Chess Player method...
She had never revealed that to anyone.
Even the demons of Wangchuan, like the Jade Dust Demon Emperor, didn't know about it.
How did this old thing know?
She neither nodded nor denied it.
But her slightly tightened jaw and her suddenly darkened gaze already said everything.
The old woman took it all in, but she didn't show any pride. Instead, she let out a long sigh.
"As I thought..."
She shook her head. "Allow me to say one more thing: do not Cultivate that Chess Condensation Method of the Chunyang Lineage."
"Why?"
"Everyone says the Twenty-Five Lineages of the Eastern Region keep the Chess Condensation Method in their hands and won't let anyone else touch it, so the world's Cultivators have suffered under the Dao Lineages for a long time... Do you think so too?"
Jiang Yuechu remained noncommittal.
The old woman gave a self-deprecating laugh. "Actually, that's not the case."
"A technique is just a technique, a dead thing. To condense a dao chess piece, besides this stepping stone, one also needs a fundamental cornerstone—a object of dao integration."
object of dao integration.
As these words reached her ears, a hint of contemplation flashed in Jiang Yuechu's eyes.
The old woman continued, "Heaven And Earth Treasures are limited, and top-grade heart materials are already hard to find. Those object of dao integrations were rare treasures nurtured when the world first opened; once used, one less remains."
"This world only has so much in its coffers. Based on this share, even if everyone only got one, it wouldn't be enough for dozens of Chess Players."
"Not to mention, who would be satisfied with just one dao chess piece?"
She pointed to the grey sky outside the hole in the dome. "Too many monks and too little porridge—that is the crux of the matter. Without a object of dao integration, even the best Chess Condensation Method is useless. With only blueprints and no bricks or tiles, how can you build a high tower?"
Jiang Yuechu said calmly, "According to you, one cannot become a Chess Player without a object of dao integration. Then wasn't it redundant for that old thing to throw the Chess Condensation Method to me?"
The old woman shook her head. "On the contrary."
"If you follow that old thing's wishes and Cultivate the Chunyang method, it won't be long before the one from Yujing Tower and even the other Main Seats offer their object of dao integrations with both hands. They will exhaust their fortunes to push you all the way up until they push you into the supreme Painting Realm."
Hearing this...
Jiang Yuechu let out a cold laugh.
"There's such a good deal in this world?"
Giving techniques, giving resources, sending someone to the heavens.
What?
Could it be that the great experts of this world are all good people who enjoy helping others?
The old woman sighed, a hint of pity appearing in her vertical pupils.
"A good deal?"
"Do you think the Painting Realm is some wonderful place?"
"The Painting Realm achieved in this world is nothing more than a half-dead, incomplete, pseudo-painting."
The old woman held her hands behind her back, her hunched body appearing somewhat frail in the wind.
"Back then, Moyang True Lord of the Chunyang Lineage was exceptionally talented and had half a foot in the Painting Realm, but he ended up in a state that was neither human nor ghost. Since then, among The Main Seats of the Twenty-Five Lineages, no one has dared to touch that threshold."
Jiang Yuechu narrowed her eyes.
"Then why do they want to help me reach the Painting Realm?"
Since it's a dead end, why go to all the trouble of pushing her up just to watch her die?
The old woman met the young woman's gaze and spoke word by word.
"Because only by reaching the Painting Realm can this world reopen a sliver of life and establish contact with the outside world."
"They want to use your hand to knock on that door, and then head to Yunmeng Township to pursue the true Painting Realm."
Yunmeng Township.
As those three words entered her ears...
Jiang Yuechu's brow furrowed slightly.
This was the first time she had heard this name since she began her cultivation.
"What kind of place is Yunmeng Township?"
"Yunmeng Township is the true land of the Great Dao, the origin of all laws, and a Major Thousand World. This world beneath our feet—the sun, moon, stars, mountains, rivers, and all living things—can all be seen as an incomplete painting scroll."
"The so-called Painting Realm is to take charge of this painting scroll and become the Master of the Painting."
The old woman looked directly at Jiang Yuechu.
"They have been trapped for too long and have lived enough of these years within the painting. They want to jump out of the scroll and go to Yunmeng Township to see the scenery outside."
"But to jump out, someone needs to stay inside to hold up the painting's roller. Do you understand what I'm saying?"
"If they leave and I stay here, it's not exactly a loss..."
Jiang Yuechu added indifferently.
Upon hearing this, the old woman's mockery grew even stronger.
"Not a loss?"
"When they depart, they will activate the backdoors left in your Chess Condensation Method and withdraw all those object of dao integrations that originally belonged to them."
"The roller will collapse, and the painting scroll will backfire. At that time, you will end up with your body destroyed and your Dao extinguished. As for whether this world lives or dies, what does it have to do with them?"
Jiang Yuechu listened quietly until the end.
She sorted out the logic behind it.
So that was it.
The Main Seats of the Dao Lineages didn't dare to break through themselves, yet they wanted to escape.
So they found a scapegoat, piled the object of dao integrations onto them, and forcibly propped open the painting scroll.
Once the passage opened, they would pat their butts and leave.
As expected...
It's a good thing I didn't just directly add points to Cultivate it.